The Clarks Interview

INTERVIEW WITH THE CLARKS FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES

DM) Rob, what's the story behind the formation of the Clarks?

RJ) Like many bands, the Clarks began to take shape while we were attending the same university, IUP, here in Pennsylvania. I was a Music Education/French Horn major and was having a rough time of it. I really just wanted to follow my passion for getting a band together and playing guitar. A friend told me about a guy on campus who played drums and was looking for some people to play music. Soon after that, some notes were tacked to my dorm room door (I was never there...), asking me if I wanted to get together. It was a week or two of this going back and forth; we couldn't seem to be in the same place at the same time. We finally connected in the cafeteria one evening, introduced by a mutual friend. We talked about music that we were listening to at the time and found some common ground. Next... Who would we get to sing?

I'd been hanging out at parties where there was always good music blaring in a dark basement. This guy, Scott, always made the party tapes.

He was tall and quite popular with the female population of the campus...he was our man. Dave and I approached him, asked if he wanted to sing, and without a pause, he became the newest member of the band. We formed a band with two other guys: a bassist and a saxophonist, and we covered songs from English Beat, Psychedelic Furs, U2 and all points in between. We called ourselves The Administration. We played for about a semester and then headed in different directions for the summer. Scott and I went to Ocean City, MD. We wrote a couple of songs down there. Our first effort, which eventually showed up on our first release, was "I'll Tell You What, Man"... Toward the end of the summer, I decided to drop out of college and pursue this band thing on a full-time basis. Enter Greg and The Clarks.

The bassist we'd been playing with had moved to Philadelphia over the summer, and the sax player graduated and had a job and family aspirations. I'd played in a band with Greg for a very short time a year before the Administration had formed. He lived in Pittsburgh after graduating from IUP. Ironically, he lived only a neighborhood away from where I'd grown up. He was a great musician with a buoyant sense of humor. Greg was fun but very levelheaded. It was a nice balance. I stopped in to see him at his place of employment. He about jumped over the counter with an affirmation.

All the pieces in place, we began to rehearse. We decided on the name, "The Clarks" (another uninteresting and long story of how we came to that name...) We played mostly covers at first and returned to the stomping grounds of IUD's fraternity basements to spread the word. Slowly we added some of our own material into the sets. In addition to the two songs that Scott and I dabbled with at the beach, he'd written a song called, "On My Way Back Home". With the writing of this song, I knew we'd found the right chemistry. This band really clicked. Eventually, we had enough songs of our own to think about recording our first disc. Thus began our 14-year adventure...

DM) And do you think the band will last another 14 years?

RJ) I strongly believe in seizing the moment and letting the future unfold the way it will. Although...if you'd asked me that question 14 years ago, I probably would have said that there's no way in hell that we'd be together for the next decade-and-a-half! "I was so much older then...I'm younger than that now." It's very rare for a band to stay intact with no personnel changes for as long as we have. The egos are checked at the door and no one can seem to remember where we put the voucher tickets. We've experienced so much together and acknowledge that this ain't a bad life to be living. Another 14 years? It could easily happen.

DM) In one recent interview the musician said that he felt that if his band got "TOO successful", they would have most likely broken up. Considering what you said about the matter of egos, do you agree?

RJ) I would like to think that more success wouldn't change much about the band. For the most part, we have enjoyed a great deal of success in our region, and are able to make a living doing the thing that we love to do in life. We acknowledge this with one another and feel that we're already "successful". The really great thing about the chemistry, from the very beginning of this band, is that we've always kept the egos in check. It's always been about the BAND. No one member has been more important than the others. We've always been given the opportunity to have our voices heard, both creatively and on all matters concerning the band. To me, it shows that maybe we were a lot more mature in our working relationship in the beginning than we realized. Yes, we have had disagreements and sometimes out-and-out fights, but never have lost sight of the ultimate goal. We've always understood the importance of communicating with people (I don't care for the word "fans") who support our music. You can't separate yourself from them as a songwriter or musician. Without these people, there would be no means of success in the first place. I think a band who doesn't recognize this, and where they stand with each other, will splinter under the pressures of success. Without an internal respect and support for each other, no band can survive...not even an unsuccessful one!!!!

DM) How similar is it to keep a successful relationship together as opposed to keeping a successful band relationship?

RJ) It's very similar. In a relationship, you're not always going to agree with your partner. You need to make compromises and have respect for that person--for who they are, regardless of your perception of their shortcomings. And this goes both ways. It's all about compromising, but in a way that's going to move you forward in your lives together with true support. You should make a stand for things that are important to you, but you must give the other person the same license. And really, that's just a few points, I'm just scratching the surface. Relationships are obviously very complex. There are so many subtleties involved, and with the band this is magnified because there are four, sometimes five, people interacting and striving for the same things.

Sometimes the experience can be familial. These guys are like my brothers. But the relationship is more a marriage of sorts. We have to give this the best effort possible to make it work and to sustain it for years to come. I wouldn't mind doing this for a long time.

DM) Your web site seems to have been a great influence on the band's success. How did that come about?

RJ) Dave majored in Computer Science, so very early on he enlightened us to the possibilities. First we used the Internet mainly to let people know where we were going to be playing and when a new disc was released...blah, blah, blah...It was our electronic mailing list, and the cost was much less than "snail-mail." A longtime friend of the band, Franco, approached us in the spring of 1996 to get a one-page website up and going. It's come a long way with song downloads, cool graphics, photos and various other features, including an online store that allows us to spread the word via the Internet. Franco just informed me that this past June saw 16,457 unique visitors hitting the site for a total of 818,659 times. I'm sure many bands are experiencing the same thing right now. It's the best way to keep people who are interested in the band informed. I absolutely love to meet people via the web and answer questions about the band. I'm amazed at how many e-mails we've gotten recently. I'm a sucker for guitar/gear questions. All told, it's become an integral part of being in the band. I personally like the fact that I can communicate with interested people. I'll always have time (or make time) to continue an online communique concerning all things Clark.

DM) Do you have any plans to use the web site more in the future?

RJ) I'm sure we'll push it to the limits. Maybe a web site broadcast of a live show, downloads of unavailable recordings, whatever. We're very fortunate to have some guys who are passionate about the band and really dedicated to the site. They're constantly tweaking little things and always have new ideas. I'm sure they will keep us on the edge of whatever is happening in the cyberworld.

DM) How does the relationship with your fans affect what you're doing?

RJ) Positive feedback from people who dig what we're doing is always nice. It's like a gift. If nobody cared about the Clarks, there would be no means of supporting the lifestyle required to immerse ourselves in a serious pursuit of writing and performing. I think it's important to interact and say thanks as much as possible. As far as affecting the way we write songs...I would say it does, but it doesn't. The positive feedback gives us a little buzz. It helps to fill the well. But in the creative process, there is never a conscious effort to write a certain way. We couldn't do that if we tried. It would be very transparent and a fake. We just follow the core of what a song means to us and put our fingerprints all over it.

DM) Of your five studio albums and one live album, which is closest to your heart?

RJ) Honestly, for me, the recording process has always been a labor of love. Every project has yielded a new and evolutionary experience. I've learned so much from all of the great people we've worked with. The latest recording experience was a huge leap for the entire band, however. Working with a producer the caliber of Justin Niebank was a first for this band.

Justin has worked with Blues Traveler, Freddy Jones Band, John Hiatt, Phish, Stir, Eric Clapton, The Iguanas...Get the picture?

Justin really helped in choosing the right songs to record out the 30-odd that we'd written. From that point, he gave each song a focus. Melodies, lyrics and instrument sounds were taken to a new level for us. Justin works with a computer hard-drive recording system which quickened the pace of tracking the songs. The value of this speed was particularly evident when it came to improvising and bouncing ideas off each other in the moment. Justin really had a way of highlighting our strengths as players and songwriters. He's a stellar human being who became a trusted friend as well as a great musical collaborator. The end result was an experience that goes well beyond just the recording of this project and into every aspect of the way the band approaches playing and creating. This is the very point of a fruitful recording experience, and so I guess it really is the closest to my heart...FOR NOW!!!

DM) How much of an influence does the producer have on the album?

RJ) In my mind, the influence of a producer is essential. Although in some instances it varies, mostly all facets of the recording process from the creative to the logistical are funneled through the producer--the logistics being things like budget, location and deadlines. Within these parameters, the producer must insure that the creative process thrives. Broad strokes may need to be focused, and sometimes focus needs to be broadened. A great producer is the outside, objective collaborator who can offer the proper direction. He can inspire you and open creative pathways. Although I haven't yet experienced this situation, a producer can sometimes be a tyrant that controls rather than collaborates. I hope our band never has to endure that type of situation, but even if we do, there's always so much to learn from working with new people. Working with Justin Niebank offered a healthy balance between creativity, business, guidance, humility and humor.

I feel he brought out the best in our abilities as writers/players and highlighted them on tape. He pushed us hard to dig deep, but we had some fun doing it. Anyone who's heard our past recordings can hear the influence he's had on the band. With Justin at the helm, I believe we are sitting on our best work to date.

DM) It sounds like Justin's almost become part of the band!

RJ) I've always felt that it's the producer's role to assume this role of fifth band member, but also to remain the outside person in charge. There are so many great producers out there who are able to step inside the band and use their abilities to capture something magical on tape. If a band is open to a producer as much as to another band member, it can only stand to reason that the creative process is going to yield much better results. Look at George Martin with the Beatles. Their working relationship is well documented.

Without their openness to his creative directions, there wouldn't have been something like "Strawberry Fields". It's a new experience for a band to work with a producer of Justin's caliber. I think he spoiled us. It was the most gratifying studio experience, and it was loads of fun. I hope we can work with him again in the future.